There are hundreds of endangered and threatened species including plants, animals, fish and birds in California. Many of them call or once called the Lompoc Valley home.
Environmentalist groups have steadfastly opposed all projects or activities that would cause harm to these listings, even if the species no longer exists and hasn’t for generations.
One example is readily available, the Western Snowy Plover protections, a bird species that is abundant throughout the nation. Beach access is totally denied to humans for several months each year at nearby Surf Beach and Ocean Park to protect the bird.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, after nearly 30 years of closely monitored conservation efforts, seems to have established a totally unsustainable population increase to remove protective measures.
Meanwhile with a wink and a nod, one local project may be getting a waiver when it comes to protecting the environment.
Noozhawk recently reported that “On Wednesday (July 12th), BayWa r.e Wind LLC asked the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission to allow the turbines to begin operating although the firm had not acquired an incidental take permit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.”
And that “County planning staff had recommended commissioners deny the request, but the panel instead recommended staff return with findings to approve the request.”
“Planning Commission Chair John Parke contended important reasons exist for the unique wind energy project to begin operating. This is not a moral issue. Should we spank BayWa for being slow? I don’t really care. I want to get things done for the citizens of California,” Parke said.
Having been a planning commissioner in the city of Lompoc for several years, I honestly don’t believe that either the county Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors has the authority to waive federal environmental permit conditions once they become part of the permitting process.
But this is Santa Barbara County, the home of environmental activism, so maybe the citizen commissioners think they do, even though the professional staff told them they didn’t.
Noozhawk goes on: “Strauss applied to the federal agency for the incidental take permit in March 2023, with a BayWa representative saying an oversight led to the delayed application. Approval of the permit can take a few years to secure so Strauss asked for permission to begin operating in the meantime, aiming to turn on the turbines in September.”
Another media outlet reported that Parke also said, “It’s about do we, this commission, find legitimate reasons to want this project to go forward and go forward today. Every time we shorten, delay, deny wind energy projects and so forth, then the longer we continue with some of the nuclear power and other options that some citizens don’t like.”
According to the staff report, “Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), modifications to an adopted mitigation measure must be supported by a legitimate reason for the change based on substantial evidence, and such modification cannot result in new or more severe environmental impact.”
“An oversight” by the applicant doesn’t seem to be a legitimate reason and potentially killing birds without the approval of the USFWS seems to be “a more severe environmental impact.”
As for the USFWS taking permit, the requirement was established three years ago when the project was approved so there is no excuse to wait until the last minute to submit the permit application.
But this project is the darling of the green energy hypocrites; nothing will stand in the way of their mission. If it means killing a few threatened or endangered species, so what? The cause is more important than any injury to the environment.
It should be noted that for the last couple of decades Santa Barbara County, specifically the Planning Commission, has shortened, delayed, denied and regulated the oil industry out of our county and obstructed many projects using the same environmental issues they seem willing to waive in favor of a project they know will harm the environment.
This double standard is not only unreasonable, but it also represents a total lack of ethics by the appointed and elected officials in our county.
I hope the staff will maintain their professional standards and continue to support denial of the waiver request by BayWa.
References:
https://www.noozhawk.com/strauss-wind-energy-project-seeks-to-operate-without-golden-eagle-permit/?utm_medium=email
https://www.santamariasun.com/news/county-planning-commission-reexamines-strauss-wind-energy-project-15042921?utm_source=Sun+Master&utm_campaign=c9548f379a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_04_12_10_16_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-0c0f3f1f4d-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
PC Staff report: https://cosantabarbara.app.box.com/s/q97rv82305oyfnbdjhcyxrrdhu3dgkqy/file/1253603676183
